The inventive concept relates to memory devices and memory systems. More particularly, the inventive concept relates to memory devices capable of reducing standby current consumption and memory systems incorporating same.
As integration density increases, the amount of power used by contemporary memory devices also increases. In particular, certain internal voltages applied the constituent memory cell array of a memory device in order to perform read/write operations consume an increasingly amount of power. As commonly constituted, memory cell arrays include a plurality of banks, each including an arrangement of memory cells. The applied internal voltages (individually or collectively hereafter termed, “array internal voltage”) include not only refresh voltages used to maintain stored charge in volatile memory devices, but also other power supply voltages, such as a bias voltage.
In conventional memory device, the array internal voltage is supplied to each bank via a power line, and a voltage generator is typically provided for each bank. The voltage generator provides either an active current that activates the bank, or a standby current when the bank is operating in a standby mode.
As the number of banks in contemporary memory devices increases, the number of corresponding voltage generators also increases. Accordingly, the overall layout area of the memory device increases, as does the amount of current consumed.